New app launched to help Indian workers get UAE work visa

A new smartphone application has been launched in New Delhi which aims to help Indian citizens apply for a work visa in the UAE.

Dr Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Banna, UAE Ambassador to India, launched the app which will facilitate the process of completing a majority of the procedures in India, and will guarantee a work visa to the UAE "without trouble", state news agency WAM reported.

Al Banna said the app is initially available in English and Hindi on Android platforms while Malayalam will be added soon to cater to the large number of job applicants from Kerala.

The total value of remittances by Indian workers in the UAE reached AED14.64 billion, or around 35.9 percent of the total, during the first half of 2017, according to central bank figures issued in September.

Al Banna said that the number of Indian visitors to the UAE reached around 1.6 million last year, while Indian visitors to Dubai exceeded 1 million between January and September 2017, marking a 20 percent increase compared to the same period in 2016.